Ore concentrator



(-No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet '1.

E. W. SINCLAIR.

- ORE GONGENTRATOR. No. 319,857. PatentedJune 9,1885.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet2. E. W. SINCLAIR.

ORE GONOENTRATOR.

No. 319,857. Pate ntedJune 9. 1 885,.

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ORE GONUENTRATOR.

No. 319,857. Patented June 9, 1885..

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' UNITED STATES PATENT Genres.

ELLIS W. SINCLAIR, OF TOMBSTONE, ARIZONA TERRITORY.

ORE-CONCENTRAT'O R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 319,857, dated June 9,1885.

Application filed March 11, 1885. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELLIs W. SINCLAIR, a citizen of the United States,residing at Tombstone, in the county of Cochise and Territory ofArizona,have invented certain new and use ful Improvements inOre-Concentrators; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters andfigures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

This invention relates to machines for sorting or concentrating ores andit consists in the construction and combinations of parts,as

hereinafter more fully described, and specifically pointed out in theclaims.

In the annexed drawings,illustrating the invention, Figure 1 is a planor top view of my improved ore-concentrator. Fig. 2 is a side elevationof the same. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the machine. Fig. 4 is across-section of the vibratory concentrator-box. Fig. 5 isaplan of theagitator-fingers. Fig. 6 is an end view of the bar or gate for closingor adjusting one of thelongitudinal discharge-openings, and showing oneof the locks for same. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of theconcentratorbox, with a portion of the frame of the machine partly insection. Fig. 8 is a side View of the plate for supporting theagitator-fingers, showing its operative connection with thecocentric-shaft. Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional perspective on the line wof Fig. 1.

Like letters of reference designate like parts I in the several views.

A is the frame of the machine, and A A are the top side bars, one ofwhich, as A, is placed somewhat lower than the other, so as to afford asupport for the spring is, that holds the concentrator-box B to theaction of the cams K K, by which said box receives a lateral jar orvibration, as hereinafter explained. The vibratory concentrator-box B isadjustably suspended from the frame of the machine at any requiredheight by means of hooked rodsPP-two at each end-having adj usting-nutsg g at their upper ends. The conl centrator-box B is long and narrow,and is provided near the bottom on each side with a longitudinalopening, as cand 1), extending nearly or quite the entire length of thebox. The floor or bottom of the box B is formed in side d beingsomewhathigher than the other, and provided at its upper edge with alongitudinal rib or flange, 'e, that prevents any of the fine ore frombeing pushed or carried off by the coarse particles over and through thewastedischarge 1).

Attached to a bar, B,within the box B, on one side, is a longitudinaldivisionplate, S, that is suspended vertically above the trough ordepression produced by the junction of the inclined bottom pieces,c d, anarrow space or opening being left beneath said plate or par- B iseffected from a shaft, 0, that is jonrnaled tries D D D,a flywheel, E,and a driving two outer eccentrics, D D, are set in the same direction,and are connected by hooked eccentric-rods h h to castings U U on thebox B, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 7 ,an endwise vibration being thusimparted to the concentrator-box by the rotation of the eccentric-shaft,said box being suspended by the hooked rods P P, as before described.The middle eccentric, D,is set in an opposite direction to theeccentrics D D, and is connected by a hooked eccentricrod, h, to acasting, T, on a vertical plate, Q, that carries at its lowerend aseries of laterallyprojecting inclined fingers or agitators, R R.

metal, and extend the entire width of the inclines c d, and nearly incontact therewith, as shown in Fig. 4, spaces being afforded between thefingers, as shown in Fig. 5, for the passage of fine material below thelevel of the dischargeopenings, so that none can float off on the waterwith which the concentrator is supplied.

The level of the discharge on each side of the concentrator is shown bydotted lines in Fig. 4. This level rises and falls on oneside with thegate 0, when the latter is adjusted up or down, as hereinafterexplained.

pulley, F, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The

two inclined portions,c d, the wider portion or tition. The vibration ofthe concentrator-box at one end of the machine and carries eccen- YThese fingers are composed of flat strips of rotation.

It will be observed that the hooked rods P P, for suspending theconcentrator-box, are supported in lugs or projections p 1), attached toor formed on the ends of the machine-tram e. The upper edge of the plateQ is flanged at Q, as shown in Figs. 1, 4,8, and 9, said flange Q beingextended at each end of the plate and provided with bearings Q that aresupported upon each end of the box B in guideways b b, of snfficientwidth to permit the necessary vibration of the parts.

On one end of the shaft 0 is a bevel-pinion, G, that meshes with abevel-gear, H, on the end of a shaft, I, that is journaled at the sideof the machine and carries the cams K K, which impart at intervals apercussion that causes, in connection with the spring k, a lateralvibration of the concentrator-box B, as before referred to. The cams K Kstrike against projections s s on the concentratorbox, and so vibrate itlaterally against the pressure of the spring k on the opposite side,said spring being adjusted to any required ten sion by bolts m m, asshown in Fig. 1. After the cams K K have rotated sufliciently, the box Bvibrates to a vertical position, with its projections s 8 bearingagainst projections pp on the main frame, and "position to be furtheracted on by th V Muslin their continued It will thus be seen that whilethe box Bis vibrated in an endwise direction in opposition to the backand forth movements of the agitator-fingers B B, it also receives aliteral jar or vibration from the movements of the cams K K.

The ore-discharge opening a may be closed or opened to any requiredextent by means of an adjustable gate, 0.

To the gate 0 are attached eccentric-straps M M, that pass aroundeccentrics L L on a rod, L, that is supported or journaled in notches f,formed in the concentrator-box, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The gate israised or lowered by rotating the rod L, and may be secured at anydesired height by means of a hand-wheel, N, on a threaded bolt, N, Fig.6, which enages perforations in the eccentric-straps M, and so looks orsecures the gate in the position to which it may have been adjusted. Therod L may be rotated by means of pins or handles m, attach ed thereto,after the hand-wheels N have been turned to relax the eccentricstraps M,the rod being afterward secured in the position to which it is rotatedby again tightening said straps.

The gate 0 is held in place against the side of theboxB by means ofspring-clamps t t, Fig. 2, the upper ends of which bear againstprojections n n on the main frame. (Shown by dotted lines in Fig. ,4.)If desired, the outer surface of the box B may be grooved back of thegate 0, for the reception of a packingstrip, 1;, as shown in Fig. 3, andso form a close joint for the gate to prevent leakage when said gate isclosed.

To the gate 0 is attached a trough or spout,

.B, that extend beneath the division-plate S.

The inclined upper surface of the bar B breaks the force of the fall,and thus prevents a remixing of any particles of ore that have alreadysettled. The box B and fingers R R are vibrated at the rate of from twohundred and twenty-five to three hundred shakes a minute, differentkinds of ore requiring different degrees of speed; but the ore must bekept in a perfect tremble, which is the best possible condition for theheavy particles, however fine, to settle to the bottom. This is greatlyaided by the lateral jar to which the concentrator is subjected. As thecurrent of water is completely broken by the jar and tremble of themachine,it does not have any tendency to carry off the fine ore,especially as less water is re quired than in ordinary machinesof thisclass. The ore that settles between and beneath the fingers R B passesoff through the opening a into the trough or spout V, the level of thedischarge, as shown by dotted line in Fig. 4, being varied as required,either by adjusting the gate 0 throughjthe eccentric-straps M M and rodL, or by raising or lowering the box B through the rods 1? P andadjustingnuts g g, as before mentioned. The waste passes off through theopening b into the trough or spout W, the fine ore being prevented fromescaping at that side by the rib or flange e on the outer edge oftheincline d. The inclines c and d, being preferably covered withamalgamated copper, serve to retain any fine particles of gold or silverthat may have escaped in the tailings from the battery stamps or pans.The machine is compact, and thus requires but little space. It'will workequally well on all ordinary sizes of ore, mixed, from a sixteenmeshscreen down to fine dust, and therefore a sizing-machine, as ordinarilyused,'wi11 not be required.

Having thus described my invention, what ICC I claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an ore-concentrator, the combination, with the endwise andlaterally vibratory box B, having a double-inclined bottom, 0 d, anddischarge-openings a b, of plate Q, provided with the thin inclinedagitator-fingers R R, having an endwise movement contrary to that of theconcentrator-box, substantially as described.

2. The concentrator-box B, having openings a b and a bottom composed oftwo inclines, c (1, one of which is wider and higher than the other, andis provided with a longitudinal rib 15"'N N and hand-wheels N N,substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the concentratorboX B and adjustable gate 0, ofthe trough or spout V, attached to and movable with said gate,substantially as described.

6. An ore concentrator comprising the framelA, vibratoryconcentrator-box B, having discharge-openings a b, double-inclinedbottom 0 d, division-plate S, and adjustable gate 0, the movable plateQ, carrying fingers R R, the shaft 0, having pinion G and eccentrics D DD, the rods h h h, the castings on the box B, the shaft 1, carrying agear, H, and cams K K, and the adjustable spring k, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ELLIS W. SINCLAIR.

WVitnesses: v

A. H. BAYLESS, S. D. Ivns.

